The U.S. women's gymnastics roster for the 2024 Paris Olympics is set after a roller-coaster qualifying process.
Competition to make Team USA was expected to be particularly tough in 2024. Simone Biles was considered a shoo-in to make the team, but beyond her, the race for roster spots was wide open.
Returning Olympians like Suni Lee, Jade Carey and Jordan Chiles were considered among the top challengers to beat for roster spots. The emergence of Shilese Jones, Skye Blakely and Kayla DiCello created a crowded group since the United States could only include five on its Olympic squad.
Late-game injuries to Blakely, DiCello and Jones ahead and during the U.S. Olympic trials winnowed out the field, but it still set the Olympics Selection Committee up with a difficult choice at the back end of the roster.
But with the trials — and selection process — now in the rearview mirror, here's a look at the five women who will represent Team USA in gymnastics at the 2024 Olympics.
MORE: Full scores from the U.S. Olympic gymnasts trials
Simone Biles
- All-around : 117.225 (1st)
- Vault : 31.475 (1st)
- Floor : 29.575 (1st)
- Uneven bars : 28.625 (2nd)
- Beam : 27.550 (4th)
There was little doubt that Biles would be Team USA's automatic qualifier for the Olympic trials. She is the best gymnast of all time and gives the United States the best chance of retaining the all-around gold medal in 2024.
Biles, 27, doesn't have a weakness in her game and has earned seven Olympic medals over her two career Olympic appearances. That includes gold in the team, all-around, vault and floor exercises at the 2016 Rio Olympics.
The 2021 Tokyo Olympics were more difficult for Biles, who didn't earn a gold medal as she battled a case of the "twisties" — the gymnastics version of "the yips." Given her present form, she looks poised to help Team USA improve from silver in the team competition at the last Olympics to gold in 2024.
Suni Lee
- All-around : 111.675 (2nd)
- Vault : 27.625 (10th)
- Floor : 27.550 (7th)
- Uneven bars : 29.275 (1st)
- Beam : 27.275 (5th)
Including Lee on the Team USA roster seems like a no-brainer, but it wasn't always this simple. Lee spent a lot of time recovering from a kidney issue that prematurely ended her college career and needed to prove herself again ahead of the Olympics.
Lee, 21, accomplished that goal with ease, finishing fourth all-around at the U.S. Championships despite working with downgraded routines and suffering a fall on the vault. She continued to improve her form at the Olympic trials — finishing second all-around and earning the top overall mark on the bars — and should continue to improve in each discipline as she rounds back into form.
Lee provides the Americans with a strong contender on both the bars — where she earned bronze at the last Olympics — and on the beam. Her specializations in those areas made her an ideal fit for Team USA's roster given the makeup of the other specialists in consideration for the roster.
Jade Carey
- All-around : 111.350 (4th)
- Vault : 29.275 (2nd)
- Floor : 28.225 (2nd)
- Uneven bars : 26.650 (T-8th)
- Beam : 27.200 (6th)
Having Carey and Lee on the 2024 Olympic team makes so much sense. The two gymnasts complement each other well, as Carey is a top-notch vaulter and the reigning Olympic gold medalist in the floor exercise routine. Both also have previous Olympic experience which will bring a level of certainty to Team USA's roster.
Carey's strength on the vault will be particularly important for this U.S. squad. The 24-year-old finished third in the discipline at the U.S. Championships behind Biles and Blakely but finished second on it at the Olympic trials. She will be a legitimate threat to medal on the apparatus in Paris, and her sky-high ceiling on the floor makes her an ideal fit for this iteration of Team USA.
Jordan Chiles
- All-around : 111.425 (3rd)
- Vault : 28.825 (T-3rd)
- Floor : 28.200 (2nd)
- Uneven bars : 28.525 (3rd)
- Beam : 25.850 (11th)
Chiles was thought to be on the roster bubble for Team USA, but she cemented her status with a strong showing at the Olympic trials.
Chiles finished third all-around and tied for third on the vault with Joscelyn Roberson. She figures to be among the team's top three all-around gymnasts, along with Biles and Lee.
Chiles, 23, participated in the 2021 Olympics with Team USA and helped the team earn a silver medal. She is a well-rounded gymnast with no big weaknesses, and her strength on the bars and the vault give Team USA plenty of depth at those positions.
Hezly Rivera
- All-around : 111.150 (5th)
- Vault : 27.725 (7th)
- Floor : 27.075 (8th)
- Uneven bars : 28.325 (4th)
- Beam : 27.925 (T-1st)
The injuries to Blakely, DiCello and Jones created a wide-open competition for the fifth Team USA roster spot in the team competition. Joscelyn Roberson, Leanne Wong and Tiana Sumanasekera were all believed to be in the running for the spot, but Rivera ultimately emerged as the choice for it.
The main reason for that? Rivera posted a 14.275 mark on the beam during her second night. That figures to be a weaker area for Team USA, and Rivera's routine on the apparatus comes with a high level of difficulty — and thus, a higher score.
Rivera was rock-solid on the other apparatuses as well, finishing fifth all-around for the two-day trials and no worse than eighth on any apparatus. As such, it's easy to see why the selection committee valued Rivera joining the five-woman team. The 16-year-old will be the youngest participant on the team, and she is the youngest gymnast to make Team USA at the Olympics since Laurie Hernandez in 2016.
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